Welcome to Books of the Book.
00:00:21.92\00:00:24.62
I'm Jon Paulien of Loma
Linda University and with me
00:00:24.62\00:00:27.76
is my Pastor Jon Ciccarelli.
00:00:27.76\00:00:29.69
Good to be with you again Jon.
00:00:29.69\00:00:31.56
Alright, well when we
are talking about first and
00:00:31.56\00:00:36.23
second Thessalonians here,
and looking a little bit at
00:00:36.23\00:00:40.60
the back story to
both of these letters.
00:00:40.60\00:00:43.47
The things that happened
before Paul wrote them that set
00:00:43.47\00:00:47.28
the context, and today we
want to talk about what happened
00:00:47.28\00:00:51.05
after he preached the gospel.
00:00:51.05\00:00:53.25
Previously we talked
about how the gospel got to
00:00:53.25\00:00:56.65
Thessalonica, how he preached
in the synagogue, how a number
00:00:56.65\00:01:00.69
of people believed and
now we are going to get into
00:01:00.69\00:01:04.43
that back story a little
bit further through the eyes
00:01:04.43\00:01:08.13
of the book of Acts 17.
00:01:08.13\00:01:10.37
Let me read that to you
here in action 17:5-7, it says:
00:01:10.37\00:01:16.60
You know it is a sad
thing when jealousy comes up,
00:01:50.07\00:01:54.01
especially in the life of
believers and the life of the
00:01:54.01\00:01:57.18
Church, and it is sad because
jealousy always seems to be
00:01:57.18\00:02:00.15
stemmed on our own kind
of personal empire verses the
00:02:00.15\00:02:02.85
kingdom of God which is
what Paul is proclaiming.
00:02:02.85\00:02:05.52
So here we find this right
here in the text this jealousy
00:02:05.52\00:02:09.56
surfaces and it reminds me
of one of the teachings that
00:02:09.56\00:02:13.56
Jesus taught
about the older brother.
00:02:13.56\00:02:15.06
Jesus the Father welcomes
his son home and there is this
00:02:15.06\00:02:18.93
brother who won't
go in and celebrate.
00:02:18.93\00:02:20.87
So jealous and bitter
about what is happening.
00:02:20.87\00:02:23.20
Why would a
spiritual person be jealous?
00:02:23.20\00:02:25.51
You know that is a rough thing.
00:02:25.51\00:02:28.11
- So you have experienced
it in the local church?
00:02:28.11\00:02:30.91
- oh yeah! Yeah, well you
know of course we face our own
00:02:30.91\00:02:34.25
issue sometimes of
being jealous ourselves.
00:02:34.25\00:02:37.25
You think somebody feels
the way this church is or the
00:02:37.25\00:02:40.72
way I think or something
is really critical to me and
00:02:40.72\00:02:43.99
you can't take away, or
this other person is taking away
00:02:43.99\00:02:47.23
my position and we
take our eyes off of God and
00:02:47.23\00:02:51.77
we often end up
looking at ourselves.
00:02:51.77\00:02:53.90
- right, right! - One
other interesting thing in this
00:02:53.90\00:02:57.17
text, we mentioned
in a previous program.
00:02:57.17\00:02:59.81
How archaeology and
history sometimes give us some
00:02:59.81\00:03:04.08
intersections
with biblical material.
00:03:04.08\00:03:06.85
It's interesting it said in this
text, the translation that I
00:03:06.85\00:03:12.75
gave, and the translation here
is actually from the ESV and it
00:03:12.75\00:03:18.63
says, "that these men
has caused trouble all
00:03:18.63\00:03:22.13
"over the world.
And now have come here."
00:03:22.13\00:03:25.60
I think you could translate
this, they turned the world
00:03:25.60\00:03:28.94
upside down and now
they have come here.
00:03:28.94\00:03:31.47
Now there is a
background to this.
00:03:32.91\00:03:34.21
I mentioned in the last
program about this highway that
00:03:34.21\00:03:38.15
runs from Northwest,
north- eastern Greece, over to
00:03:38.15\00:03:41.28
Northwest Greece and
how Thessalonica is in the
00:03:41.28\00:03:44.35
middle of that highway.
00:03:44.35\00:03:46.02
Well that highway goes
all the way to the coast where
00:03:46.02\00:03:49.19
you can get boats
from Italy and Rome,
00:03:49.19\00:03:51.16
the capital of the Empire.
00:03:51.16\00:03:52.96
Now we know from history,
that around 49 A.D., the Emperor
00:03:52.96\00:03:59.60
Claudius threw all
the Jews out of Rome.
00:03:59.60\00:04:02.87
All of them, and
according to a Roman historian,
00:04:02.87\00:04:06.31
they were rioting over
some guy called Crispus.
00:04:06.31\00:04:09.68
The scholars believe probably
that's a Roman historian
00:04:09.68\00:04:14.65
trying to figure out
what Christ means, Christos,
00:04:14.65\00:04:17.39
the Messiah and so forth.
00:04:17.39\00:04:18.99
Apparently Christians had
arrived in Rome sometimes in the
00:04:18.99\00:04:23.16
40s and the Jews of Rome
are arguing about the Messiah.
00:04:23.16\00:04:27.30
Apparently the arguments
got excited enough that
00:04:27.30\00:04:32.00
the Emperor finally
said, all of you out.
00:04:32.00\00:04:33.90
So you see Jews would
have left Rome, many of them
00:04:33.90\00:04:37.21
would've headed east and
landed in Greece and come up
00:04:37.21\00:04:41.14
the same highway, and
probably arrived in Thessalonica
00:04:41.14\00:04:45.08
from Rome around the
time Paul is arriving from
00:04:45.08\00:04:48.88
the other direction and
they meet in Thessalonica.
00:04:48.88\00:04:52.62
So hot and fresh right here
is the idea Hey, this teaching
00:04:52.62\00:04:56.93
about Jesus, this
Messiah stuff is going to get us
00:04:56.93\00:05:00.46
in a whole lot of trouble.
00:05:00.46\00:05:01.53
These are not people that
we can afford to listen to.
00:05:01.53\00:05:06.43
So there was a real
live contest going on.
00:05:06.43\00:05:11.07
It would sound to the Romans
like this Messiah is a rival
00:05:11.07\00:05:14.98
to Caesar, he is going
to take over from Caesar.
00:05:14.98\00:05:17.85
So it becomes a political
threat, not just the religious
00:05:17.85\00:05:21.12
story anymore.
00:05:21.12\00:05:23.59
Why don't you read
further and see what happens?
00:05:23.59\00:05:25.59
Okay, in Acts
17:8, 9 goes on to say:
00:05:25.59\00:05:30.73
- all right, this idea
of city authorities is an
00:05:41.40\00:05:44.74
interesting translation.
00:05:44.74\00:05:46.54
The original word is Damus,
and it seems that Thessalonica
00:05:46.54\00:05:50.38
had a unique form of government.
00:05:50.38\00:05:52.38
It was quite a bit
different from most cities.
00:05:52.38\00:05:54.75
Actually a city Council, some-
times people call it oligarchy,
00:05:54.75\00:06:00.06
ruled by a few, you see.
00:06:00.06\00:06:02.29
They didn't have a mayor,
they didn't have a governor
00:06:02.29\00:06:05.49
that the Romans sent, it
was a free city within the
00:06:05.49\00:06:08.40
Roman empire and it was
governed by a city council,
00:06:08.40\00:06:11.33
probably five to eight people.
00:06:11.33\00:06:13.10
So these were the ones
that collectively dealt with
00:06:13.10\00:06:16.40
issues and actually
they seemed to behave
00:06:16.40\00:06:19.34
pretty impressively here.
00:06:19.34\00:06:20.91
Imagine yourself being
an official of Thessalonica,
00:06:20.91\00:06:23.81
strangers are coming in
one side of the city, and a mob
00:06:23.81\00:06:26.65
it's coming in from
the other side of the city.
00:06:26.65\00:06:29.82
Things are in turmoil,
and what you want is to calm
00:06:29.82\00:06:32.99
things down,
pull things together.
00:06:32.99\00:06:35.12
They seem to have
acted actually pretty coolly
00:06:35.12\00:06:37.89
in the situation even thou it
was detrimental to the church.
00:06:37.89\00:06:41.06
They basically said,
okay, Paul, Silas, you guys are
00:06:41.06\00:06:44.60
the instigators,
leave town. Okay!
00:06:44.60\00:06:47.84
The rest of you Christians
here, you are going to put
00:06:47.84\00:06:50.91
up a bond, put up an
amount of money and if
00:06:50.91\00:06:53.51
they come back
you lose the money.
00:06:53.51\00:06:55.01
So you keep them out of
town and everything is cool.
00:06:55.01\00:06:58.61
So they basically
sent Paul and Silas away.
00:06:58.61\00:07:02.18
Took a bond from the
church and let everybody go.
00:07:02.18\00:07:05.42
So unlike Philippi,
where they beat them up before
00:07:05.42\00:07:08.79
they ask questions, the
rulers of Thessalonica seem
00:07:08.79\00:07:12.13
to have been fairly cool and
tried to be even-handed about
00:07:12.13\00:07:17.47
this whole situation.
00:07:17.47\00:07:18.83
So, when Paul and
Silas leave Thessalonica,
00:07:18.83\00:07:21.64
where do they go?
00:07:21.64\00:07:22.60
Well they then move on
to a place called Berea.
00:07:22.60\00:07:25.11
- How do you know that?
00:07:25.11\00:07:26.34
Well, right here in
Scripture in Acts 17. - okay!
00:07:26.34\00:07:30.45
Verses 10 through 15. - alright!
00:07:30.45\00:07:31.85
We see the story were Paul
and Silas go away to Berea,
00:07:31.85\00:07:34.85
and there they find what
the Scriptures says a more
00:07:34.85\00:07:37.99
fair-minded people,
people who would listen to what
00:07:37.99\00:07:40.79
they would say, and
then check it with Scriptures
00:07:40.79\00:07:43.56
to see how that panned out.
00:07:43.56\00:07:45.63
So, they have a good
balance in what they are doing.
00:07:45.63\00:07:48.20
They are listening, but
they are looking at Scripture
00:07:48.20\00:07:50.80
at the same time.
00:07:50.80\00:07:51.90
Interesting so these are
people that have an open mind
00:07:51.90\00:07:55.80
but they are not gullible
and taking in anything you say.
00:07:55.80\00:07:59.31
So they have an open
mind, but they are also going to
00:07:59.31\00:08:02.78
check it out, they're
also going to test it out.
00:08:02.78\00:08:04.81
I recommend that
our viewers do the same.
00:08:04.81\00:08:07.52
When you are listening to
what we are saying here on
00:08:07.52\00:08:10.69
this program, go look
up the text for yourself.
00:08:10.69\00:08:13.12
Go get a history book out
and take a look at some of
00:08:13.12\00:08:16.32
these things and I think
what matters is the Word of God
00:08:16.32\00:08:19.46
more than what I
say, or what you say.
00:08:19.46\00:08:22.83
Bereans seemed to
have caught that balance.
00:08:22.83\00:08:25.23
Of course the
opposite is sometimes the case.
00:08:25.23\00:08:27.57
As a Pastor you may have
discovered some people are
00:08:27.57\00:08:30.44
both close minded and
gullible at the same time.
00:08:30.44\00:08:33.31
- That's not a good combination.
00:08:33.31\00:08:36.11
- that's the dark side
of the Bereans. - right.
00:08:36.11\00:08:39.35
So here Paul went to Berea,
and once again even though
00:08:39.35\00:08:43.42
the people are open minded,
some other Jews came from
00:08:43.42\00:08:47.46
Thessalonica and
stirred things up a little bit.
00:08:47.46\00:08:50.26
Where did Paul go from there?
00:08:50.26\00:08:51.63
Well from there we can go
on to Chapter 17 of Acts verses
00:08:51.63\00:08:55.46
16 to 34 and Paul has a
different approach it seems this
00:08:55.46\00:08:58.67
time because not only are
the Jews there at the synagogue
00:08:58.67\00:09:01.84
but he is also in the
marketplace and he meets these
00:09:01.84\00:09:04.51
philosophers and he talks to
them about God through nature
00:09:04.51\00:09:08.18
and uses some of their own
poets when he talks to them.
00:09:08.18\00:09:11.78
So it's pretty
interesting and quite different.
00:09:11.78\00:09:14.25
Share with us a
little more about that?
00:09:14.25\00:09:15.72
What that is interesting
because I see Paul as being
00:09:15.72\00:09:20.76
quite flexible as he
goes from place to place,
00:09:20.76\00:09:23.86
he is thinking
about his experience.
00:09:23.86\00:09:25.56
His burden is that
people receive the Gospel,
00:09:25.56\00:09:28.46
that they understand
and appreciate the Gospel.
00:09:28.46\00:09:31.33
He is going to come at them
anyway that he can to get that
00:09:31.33\00:09:36.44
message across, so unlike
Thessalonica, he doesn't go to
00:09:36.44\00:09:41.28
the synagogue here to preach,
instead he goes to consult.
00:09:41.28\00:09:45.55
He realizes that in Athens
the big challenge is not the
00:09:45.55\00:09:49.55
Jews, the big challenge is
the pagans and the philosophers
00:09:49.55\00:09:53.22
there so he comes to the
Jews as allies in that fight.
00:09:53.22\00:09:56.66
So he consults with the
synagogue and says what's going
00:09:56.66\00:10:00.50
on here in Athens? How
should we approach these people?
00:10:00.50\00:10:05.30
Then he goes to the
marketplace, he is fact finding.
00:10:05.30\00:10:08.60
He is looking around,
he's looking at monuments,
00:10:08.60\00:10:11.87
he is studying their religion
and then when he gets the
00:10:11.87\00:10:15.38
opportunity, as you say, he
presents the message without
00:10:15.38\00:10:18.88
Scripture, he presents
it on the basis of logic,
00:10:18.88\00:10:22.15
creation, nature, poets,
that they were familiar with.
00:10:22.15\00:10:26.72
So he tries to reach in
a different way then what
00:10:26.72\00:10:30.83
he had tried before.
00:10:30.83\00:10:32.33
After a while he leaves
Athens and where does he go
00:10:32.33\00:10:36.06
from there? - Well
then he heads on to Corinth.
00:10:36.06\00:10:39.80
We can read about that
in Acts 18:1-8, and again he
00:10:39.80\00:10:43.37
goes to the synagogue every
Sabbath persuading both the
00:10:43.37\00:10:46.68
Jews and Greeks, he gets
quite frustrated with them here
00:10:46.68\00:10:49.94
though, he just wants
to say I'm done with you,
00:10:49.94\00:10:52.15
but God speaks to him
and says no, keep going.
00:10:52.15\00:10:54.28
But then he comes before
some of the authorities there in
00:10:54.28\00:10:58.15
Rome and just continues to
fight this battle once again.
00:10:58.15\00:11:02.02
Who was the authority
that they got to meet there?
00:11:02.02\00:11:06.49
They got to meet
Gallio. - alright! - Gallio.
00:11:06.49\00:11:09.33
So Gallio is there as governor,
and I mentioned earlier
00:11:09.33\00:11:13.87
that there is intersections
between the Bible and history
00:11:13.87\00:11:18.37
of what we know.
00:11:18.37\00:11:19.47
A place called Delphi in
Greece that has an inscription
00:11:19.47\00:11:23.98
about Gallio, the very same guy.
00:11:23.98\00:11:26.55
If the Bible was fairy
tales, this would not happen.
00:11:26.55\00:11:29.22
- right, right! - this
Gallio was a real person in
00:11:29.22\00:11:32.12
history and we have got
stones that remind us and even
00:11:32.12\00:11:35.02
told us when he was
governor of Corinth.
00:11:35.02\00:11:37.23
It was a one-year term
that he had in Corinth.
00:11:37.23\00:11:40.56
We know that that was
like 50, 51 so Paul when
00:11:40.56\00:11:43.83
he is dragged before Gallio,
it is right around 50, 51,
00:11:43.83\00:11:47.74
the Jews were cast out of
Rome in 49, and so all this
00:11:47.74\00:11:51.11
stuff, this history and
coming together right in the
00:11:51.11\00:11:54.21
middle of these letters
and it impacts the letters that
00:11:54.21\00:11:57.31
Paul will write
to the Thessalonians.
00:11:57.31\00:12:00.05
So I think that as we are
approaching this thing we want
00:12:00.05\00:12:05.45
to keep all that
background in mind.
00:12:05.45\00:12:07.36
Then we are going to get
more deeply into the letters
00:12:07.36\00:12:11.29
of Thessalonians themselves.
00:12:11.29\00:12:13.29
So I think one thing we
can see in all of this, is that
00:12:13.29\00:12:17.57
as Paul is going from place
to place, he doesn't give the
00:12:17.57\00:12:21.84
same message in every
place, but he is thinking,
00:12:21.84\00:12:25.21
he is visiting his audience.
00:12:25.21\00:12:27.04
If he knows the audience,
if it is a typical Jewish
00:12:27.04\00:12:29.98
audience he knows
what they are thinking.
00:12:29.98\00:12:31.58
He knows the questions
they are asking and he goes
00:12:31.58\00:12:34.12
after that and he takes
their Scriptures and so on.
00:12:34.12\00:12:36.72
When he is talking to the
Gentiles, he's talking to the
00:12:36.72\00:12:40.29
governor, each time he is
thinking very carefully who
00:12:40.29\00:12:43.39
he is talking to and how
he is going to go about it.
00:12:43.39\00:12:47.10
So when we come back
from the break, let's get into
00:12:47.10\00:12:51.00
1 Thessalonians and begin
to see what Paul is thinking
00:12:51.00\00:12:54.90
when he is there in
Corinth. - Sounds good!
00:12:54.90\00:12:58.01